Our final and 5th P is being Professional.
Professionalism embraces each of our values, but especially, Quality first and Full Responsibility. Being professional is also closely linked to Preparation and Presentation.

Why is it important to be professional? Because it makes customers feel that they are in good hands. It builds trust in you and it builds trust in the company. There is no university course that teaches you how to become the perfect salesperson, so with many years in sales, all I would like to do, is share with you some tips from the many mistakes I have made along the way.

Tip 1 – Do discuss, agree and then send an agenda.

Tip 2 – Be on time. 10am means 9:55am.

Tip 3 – Respect the time agreed for the meeting.

Tip 4 – Dress appropriately. If in doubt check with a colleague.

Tip 5 – Make introductions. Be interested in who they are, what they do.

Tip 6 – Tell them what you would like to achieve from the meeting, but also ask them: what are their expectations? And write them down!

Tip 7 – Listen and let them finish what they are saying before you answer.
Tip 7b – This is actually a lot harder than it sounds.

Tip 8 – Any questions you get asked in a meeting are buying signals. Go deeper, open questions, question to yourself: “I wonder why they asked that question?”

Tip 9 – Be graceful in defeat. Smile, you cannot win them all! Be respectful of their decisions.

Tip 10 – End the meeting in a good way with agreed next steps.

And my final tip – this is something I remind myself of every time I go into a meeting: The more I listen, the more I learn. I will learn nothing when I am talking.